Machine fob making cabtridge shells



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (No Model.) 7

J. H. RING. MACHINE FOR MAKING CARTRIDGE SHELLS.

No. 311,035. Patented Jan. 20, 1885,.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. RING. MACHINE FOR MAKING OARTRIDGE SHELLS. No. 311,035. Patented Jan.20, 1885.

LLLQL m m M Fi l L Wil- 255125.

, tridges of Fire-Arms or other Purposes'; and I- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JOHN HENRY RING, on LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSICN E To THE AMERICAN AUTOMATIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR mnkme-- CARTRI DGE-SHELLS.

'LZPECIPIC ATION forming part of-Letters Patent No. 311,035, dated January 20,1885.

application filed February 25, 1884. (No model),

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN HENRY RING, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery for Making Metallic Shells for Cardo hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention, the nature of which is defined in the claims hereinafter presented. Fig. 2 is a transverse section, and Fig. 3 a top view of the main. or first rotary disk-carrier.

4 is a top iew, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section, of the radially-notched wheel .and the actuator for intermittently revolving theshaft f the said disk-carrier. Fig. 6

is a top view, and Fig. 7' a transverse .section, of one of the auxiliary rotary disk-carriers. Fig. 8 is a top view, and Fig. 9 a transverse section, of one of 'the radially-notched wheels and its actuator for intermittently revolvingthe shaft of each auxiliary disk-carrier. Fig. 10 is a View of the pinch V, to be described. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the trimmer, hereinafter explained. Fig. 12 is a top view, and Fig. 13, a side view, of certain belts and pulleys, constituting part of the machine,

The said machine automatically and rapid 1y makes from sheet metal cartridge-shells, each having the form as represented in longitudinal section in Fig. 14 and in end view in Fig. 15. In the said machinethere are, besides a pri- "mary rotary die-carrier, A, and a series of auxiliary rotary die-carriers, B, revolved on separate verticalshaftsO and DD, 860., and arranged with each other and the said shaft, as represented in Fig. 1, a mechanism for feeding the strip of metal to the primary die-carrier. Furthermorethereisaseries of punches, E and F, for the said die-carriers, such punches being provided with mechanism for intermittently reciprocating them vertically. There is also mechanism for trimming each shell to its proper length, and mechanism for heading the shell. Each die-carrier is a circular wheel or disk provided with a series of dies arranged in it in circle at equal distances apart, and extending through it,.such being as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and 6 and 7, in which a are thedies, those of each carrier having their-bases a-little less in diameter than those of the dies Each carrier laps on that next succeeding and below it, and they have to their shafts mechanisms for of the next preceding carrier.

intermittently revolving them, so as throughout the series to carry a die of one carrier "directly over thatof the next succeeding one, -inorder that a punch in passing through the upper of the said dies may enter the-lower one and forceashell from the upper into the lower of the two.

I have found by experience thatwhen each of the shafts of the die-carriers is provided .with a gear and'such gears are arranged in a train to engage with one another, in order that when the gear of the first shaft is put in revolution all the other shafts will be""simultaneously revolved, there is little if any cer-; .tainty of the dies being brought into their proper relations for the reception of the sev eral punches, and therefore Ido not use in the machine such a series of ,gears, but haveadopted other devices, parts of which can be readily adjusted'to render the dies of the die- ,carri'ers certain to come into their proper relations preparatory to the receptionof the punches. For this purpose we have to operate each die-carrier shaft, a radially-notched wheel and its actuator. ,The radially-notched wheel for the shaft Cis shown at G in Figs. 1,

4, and 5, and its actuator at H in the said figures. Each wheel G has ten radial notches,

b, arranged in it peripherally, as shown, and

at equal distances apart, and between each two notches the wheel-periphery is notched to the are of a circle whose diameter corresponds to that of a circular segment, d, co'n- 'stituting a part 'of the actuator and arranged,

as shown, on a level with the notched wheel G."

Besides this segment the actuator is provided.

with an arm, e, to extend under the wheel G, and to 'carry a pin or stud, f, to extend up ward into one of the radial slots 6 of the wheel".

The actuator-is fixed ona short shaft, g,which is separate from and parallel with the .shaft 0, and is provided with a bevel-gear, h, to engage with a bevel-gear, i, arranged on a horizontal. shaft, 1, as shown in Fig. 1.

actuator, during each revolution of it, will, by means of the pin f'and notch 1), partially revolve the wheel G, and next will hold it in position while the segment of the actuator may be turning in a notch, c.

To each shaft D there is such a'notched wheel, which is shown inFi'g. 8 at G, it having six radial notches and alike number of intermediate curved notches to operate with its actuator H. The series of actuators H are carried by a series of short vertical shafts, 'S, arrangedas shown in Figs. 1, 8, and 9, and properly sustained in boxes It, suitably supported by the frameK of the machine. Each of the said shafts S has fixed on it, near its lower end, a bevel-gear, Z, to engage with another such gear, at. The series of gears m is supported by a shaft, R, provided with a spur-gear, n, that engages with a spur-gear, 0, fixed on the shaft 1. Each actuator H has on its hub one or more screws, 8 (see Figs. 1 and 9,) for clamping it to its supportingshaft. These screws admit of the actuator being properly adjusted to their notched wheels as occasion may require, to keep the diesof the die-carriers in their due relations.

Above the shaft I isthe driving-shaft L, that engages with the said shaft I by means of four gears, 19 p q q, arranged as represented. At or near one end of it the shaft L is provided with a fast pulley, r, and a loose pulley, 8, about the former ofwhich a belt from a suitable motor isto run in order to cause the shaft to revolve. Excentrics t on the shaft I connect with a bar, M, by means of their collars v and connecting-rods a, such bar being suitably guided so as to be capable of moving vertically. To the bar the several puneh-carriers N are fastened,and are arranged as represented in Fig. 1.

The feed-rollers are shown at Z Z, they having on their shafts connecting-gears w w, as represented. On the shaft of the upper of such rollers there is fixed a ratchet-wheel, Y, to be operated by a pawl, y, jointed to a crank, i, that is joined to the bar M by a connectingrod, X. H During each descent of the said bar the feed-rollers will be put in operation so as to advance the strip of metal to the main diecarrier A. All of the punches will at the same time be forced down through their die-carriers in a manner to cause such cartridge-shell blank operated on by such punches to be forced from one die-carrier down into that next below 'it, the blank being elongated and reduced in the meantime by the punchand lower die. In this way the blank becomes inthe operation of the machine moved from one die-carrier to the next one in the series, until it may reach the die that may carry it immediately beneath the trimmer A, a detailed view of such trimmer being given in Fig. 11. Having arrived at such a position the blank or shell will have I been reduced diametrically to the proper size for being trimmed to the proper length for being headed and expelled from the machine. A coil or strip of copper plate of the required The vwidth being duly supported, and introduced endwise between the feed rollers, will be by them introduced under the punch W over the main die-carrier. This punch next descending,will, with the die under it, separate from the strip a blank as a disk or circular plate of the metal,whioh will be forced into the die. The carrier A has ten of such dies, which in course of each revolution of it will be successively supplied with such blanks. Each of the auxiliary die-carriers has six dies. By means of their operative notched wheels and their actuators, as described, the several die-carriers will be intermittently revolved, the punches'acting while the die-carriers may be at rest. During eachdescent of the punches each auxiliary die-plate receives a blank and has one expelled from it.

To each auxiliary die-carrier I usually have means of stripping from the punch a shell or blank during a rise of the punch out of a die of such carrier, and for such purpose elastic jaws or springs'may be used to extend between each two die-carriers, such springs being adapted to admit of the punch and blank,

in the passage of the latter from one die into another, to pass between such springs, they so closing upon the punch after the blank may have been forced into the lower of the two dies as to come directly over-the upper end of the blank and prevent it from being drawn upward out of the die by the punch while rising. When the first of the blanks reach the extractor, or to a position to be expelled by it from the last of the series of auxiliaryidiecarriers, the dies of such carriers will have become fullycharged with the blanks, in or der for a perfect shell to be expelled from the machine during each interval of rest of the die-carriers. The number expelledper minute may be very large, as one hundred or thereabout, if the machine be suitably constructed.

On the. shaft L there is fixed at one end of ita peripherally-grooved balance-wheel, a about whiehfand a pulley, b on a shaft, 0', arranged as shown, an endless band, d passes. A drum, 6', fixed on the shaft 0, has an endless band, f (see Figs. 12 and 13,)going about it, and a vertical drum, 9, about which and another such drum, 1", an endless crossed band, h", works. The said drum 1? is carried by the spindle K". of the trimmer m. This trimmer consists of two springs, arranged as shown in Fig. 11, and having at their lower ends cutters, which, when the said springs attached toon the spindle, and is depressed thereon by a shoulder or flange, 0 of the spindle in course of the descent of the latter into the blank.-

Hooks 1), extending from the flange or shoulder, and'hooking under a flange at the upper end of the sleeve, serve to draw the sleeve upward on the spindle being raised. The spindle K has its supporting devices or bear- IIC ings projecting from an arm or bar, 1, fixed on the bar M, (see Fig. 1,) the said spindle being moved vertically by the said bar T when the latter is so-Inoved by the bar M.

Directly over the last auxiliary die-carrier is a punch, C", for holding the shell in position in a die, While the header performs its duty of heading the shell or upsetting it at its lower end. Ilhis punch C and the shell-expeller D are projected from a'bar or supporter, 6 extending downfrom the bar MI After a 'shell may have been headed it will be moved around under the expeller 1D, whiclnondescending with the punches',will force the shell out of the die in which it may have been headed.

' The header 0 is arranged as shown in Fig. 1, projecting from an adjustable support-piece, p fixed to a vertical slider, (1 jointed to the connecting-rod r of the cutter s" of aneecentric, t", fixed on the shaft I. By such means the header receives its proper reciprocatingvertieal motions when the said shaftis in revolution.

The punch E, hereinbefore mentioned, is the cupping-punch, its duty,with a die of the main die-carrier, being to impart to the circular disk the shape ofa cylindrical cup. On

the punch shown in Fig. 10 is amovable' flanged sleeve, a", resting on the upper endof, which and encompassing the punch is a spiral spring, 12 bearing against a shoulder, to", of the punch. From the bar N, carrying the punch, a'hook, :0", projects and extends under the flange of the sleeve a, as shown in 10. In a descent of the punch the sleeve will be forced down upon the blank by the spring 1!, and with the die will hold it, so as to enable the punch to properly act with the die in reducing the blank to the cup shape, as mentioned. 1

' There projects down from the carrying b'ar N of the'cuppingpuncli apiece of'wireor a metallic strip, a, which wire. during a descent of thegba r, is to pass through one of thedies into apcup, b, suitably arranged andcontain ing oil for oiling the dies, theoil being by the 'shells carried from one die to another. Such means are sufficient for lubricating the entire f series of dies of the die-carriers.

In the operation of the machine, the strip, whether it be of copper or other proper metalor material, is intermittently fed'forward by the feed-rollers, and wh ile the the ca rriers may I be at rest thereis punched from the strip a blank, which, by the first punch,W, is driven! 'ing its "die-carriers B, their shafts into a die of the main carrier. During the revolution of the said carrier the blanks are succ ssively carried around underneath the cupp ng-punch and over the die of the first of the auxiliary die-carriers. The blanks are successively driven by the punches from one diecarrier into the next one throughout the series, each blank in passing from one die into another being elongated by the latter. This having been done, each blank as it comes underneath the trimmer, will be trimmed by it to the proper length, and will next be headed by the -header, and-finally will' be forced out of the last die-carrier by the expeller.

The expressiondierarriers herein used is to be understood as meaning carriers not only forthedies but for the shells. Furthermore, the dies and punch of each carrier is to have a diameter somewhat less than that of those of the carrier next preceding.

1 am aware-of Patent No. 286,937, and the present invention is an improvement thereon. Such patenteddevice has its die-carrier shafts operated one by another in .a seriesf'and the main die-carrier shaft by an actuator. between it and the driving-shaft.

, In'the present invention" the die-carrier shafts are independent of one another, and are vperated by a, counter-shaft by means of intervening aetu ators, each die-carrier shaft havown actuator. MI p -1. lntrcartridge-machine, the main diecarrier A, its shaft O,- notched-wheel G, and actuator H, in combination with the auxiliary D, and. notched wheels G, the shafts S, and actuators H, and

the shafts R and I, all constructed and ar-' ranged as set forth, whereby the die-carriers are operated in unison but independently of one another.

2. The combination of the lubricating strip or Wire a and oil-holder b, the feeding-rollers, thepunohes,'and exp'cller, having mechanism for operating them, essentially as described, with the series of main and auxiliary die-carriers. and their dies and shafts, and with a notched wheel and its aetuator,.,as described, applied to each other and each of the said shafts, and provided withmechanism for revolving such actuator, all being substantially and to operate as specified.

JOHN HENRY RING. Witnesses:

. R. H. EDDY, E. B. PR TT.

ICC 

